3 hurt as light-rail train, van collide in Phoenix

Three people were hospitalized Wednesday afternoon after a light-rail train and a full-size passenger van collided in Phoenix, leaving the van wrapped around a light pole.

The van could have been dragged at least 20 feet before hitting the pole at 18th and Washington streets, officials said.

The driver of the van, a 28-year-old woman, had picked up the van from the A1 Leasing, just blocks from the collision, said Larry Potts, owner of A1 Leasing.

The woman, who was planning to use the van for a school function Thursday, was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

"She's very lucky lady to be alive," said Phoenix firefighter Michael Velasco. "A split-second later and she might not have been."

The driver of the train and a passenger were also hospitalized with minor injuries.

Trains were backed up Wednesday because of the collision, said Hillary Foose, spokeswoman for Metro Light Rail.

Metro was rerouting trains onto Jefferson Street, which is set up for one-way train traffic. As a result, stop lights are out of sync for the trains heading west, which is against the normal direction, Foose said.